Carnegie Moscow Center
Last June's ethnic violence in Kyrgyzstan, along with the performance of the country's new parliamentary system of government, will have wide-ranging implications for Central Asia and for regional security.
Parliamentary elections held in Kyrgyzstan on October 10 were the first under the country’s new constitution, which institutes a parliamentary system with a relatively weak president. They have shown the level of awareness in Kyrgyz society, demonstrating that people take an interest in their future.
The Egyptian parliamentary elections in 2010 and the presidential succession question offer a valuable opportunity to understand the regime’s preferences on striking a balance between stability and the urgent need for reform.
Radical Islamist groups have become significant political powers in many parts of the world and the West has yet to establish a strategy for building relations with them.
Good relations between Russia and China, promoted by economic and political cooperation, are one of the major and most valued aspects of Moscow's current foreign policy.
Negotiating with the Taliban now, when concessions are still possible, is the best hope for securing protections for the Afghan people, putting Afghanistan on the path towards a new constitution, and ending the coalition’s failing military strategy.
Turkey’s recent constitutional referendum passed with the support of little over half of the Turkish population, giving Prime Minister Erdogan an electoral victory and consolidating his political authority.
As the October 10 parliamentary elections approach, Kyrgyz political parties must clarify their positions on the most pressing issues facing voters, such as reforming the electoral system.
Turks are preparing to vote on a set of proposed constitutional amendments that risk undermining the independence of the judiciary and eroding one of the necessary checks on the power of the executive branch.
The best hope for exiting the war in Afghanistan is to Afghanize the conflict and establish a coalition government that includes Taliban leaders.